NEARLY £400,000 is to be spent revamping the chapels in Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, and Perth Royal Infirmary, writes Marjory Inglis, health reporter.

The decision was taken behind closed doors at the most recent meeting of the trustees of NHS Tayside’s endowment funds. Over £28 million of charitable donations are invested in the funds and almost £4 million of the income was spent last year.

At their most recent meeting last month, trustees decided to continue holding their meetings in private but agreed an annual meeting would be held once a year to highlight some of the work it does.

The Courier has continued to press for access to information about decisions on spending and yesterday was issued with a selective list of funding approved since May last year.

By far the largest award on that list for the current financial year is £389,182 for spiritual care accommodation.

Around two years ago there was a public outcry when a communion table was removed from PRI. After moves to turn the chapels into quiet reflection areas for people of all faiths or of none, NHS Tayside was accused of stripping the chapels of Christian symbols.

Yesterday the Rev Gillian Munro, head of NHS Tayside’s spiritual care department, said that in the intervening period there had been meetings with an advisory group including representatives of many different faiths and a public consultation on proposals for the redevelopment of the chapels and associated office areas.

Agreement has been reached on what might be termed the floor plan of the redesigned accommodation but no agreement has been reached on what the spaces known for generations as hospital chapels will eventually be called.

“That is one of the things everyone will have to discuss when we get to the stage of choosing names,” said Miss Munro. “We will also talk about what furniture, what artefacts and what books we will have.”

Now that the funding has been agreed, scheduling the building work can commence and Miss Munro said she was arranging meetings to ascertain the timescales.

“Now we have the money we will keep going until it is done,” said Miss Munro. “I really have no concept of how long building work takes but certainly, what I would say, is that if we are still talking about this in the middle of next year, then there will be something wrong.

“We would hope people would be able to use these spaces and be helped in their care through using them by the middle of next year.”

While the work is being undertaken temporary accommodation will be arranged.

Miss Munro said the redevelopments were being undertaken to improve patient care.